Over the last several years, Flo Rida has pulled off a pretty neat trick. Not only has the Florida-born rapper become a chart fixture thanks to the blockbuster singles "Low (feat. T-Pain)," "Right Round," "Club Can't Handle Me," and his most recent chart-topping hits, "Good Feeling" and "Wild Ones (feat. Sia)," he's also broken down barriers by uniting millions of fans of pop, hip-hop, and club music around the world and establishing himself as an international, genre-busting superstar in the process. Flo Rida brings his experiences traveling the globe to his fourth album, Wild Ones.
"Over the last few years, I've been everywhere - Africa, Japan, Greece, South America, Russia, the Middle East, Australia, India, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, The Philippines, and all over the United States and Europe," Flo says. "You name it, I went there. I got to go to the best clubs and the most extreme parties and that really influenced this album. With this album, I definitely feel like I have to show people that I'm the life of the party." Songs like the "Good Feeling" and "Let It Roll" are addictive, upbeat party jams. His newest single, "Whistle," opens with an acoustic guitar and infectious whistle chime, already proving to be the song of the summer. Jennifer Lopez adds her sultry vocals to the club-ready "Sweet Spot," and Redfoo of LMFAO helps keep the party going on the bonus track "Run." "On each album I try to show a lot of versatility, but every time it's going to get bigger and bigger, because there's no way I can give my fans the same old thing."
As for his stunning success, Flo Rida says, "If you have a dream and stay positive, there's no way you can lose. The fact that I've come from where I've come from and been able to travel the world is just crazy. I remember seeing an entire family come to my show. They had a baby in a stroller, a four-year-old girl, and a seven-year old boy. That blew me away that they gave me their time, so I want to give people my time." To that end, Flo Rida has created Big Dreams For Kids Foundation and the Florida Youth Football League (FYFL), (2) charity non-profit organizations dedicated to improving the lives of inner-city, underprivileged youth through education, team sports, family enrichment and support.
"It's one thing to me for me to be successful with music, but with the right message and having the ability to connect with people, I knew I could do something meaningful that gives people hope," Flo Rida says. "When I was growing up, celebrities would come through the projects where I lived, and hearing them talk about how they had become financially stable made an impact on me. I've felt a need to go back and talk to kids and let them know what happened in my life, the way some of these folks did for me. I feel like it's my duty to put a smile on people's faces, whether it's through my charity or through my music, and that's what I always plan to be doing."